Cartridge locking device for tape players

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device of attaching cartridge to the tape player, and is to hold fitting means to be pressed to an engaging concave of the side of the attached cartridge at an appropriate retreating position, and further is to release said fitting means from its retreating condition to effect a strong pressure to the cartridge when it is completely inserted thereinto, so that a sound attaching-detaching operation is provided as well as an exact attaching condition of the cartridge is formed at a reproduction.

United States Paten Tanaka CARTRIDGE LOCKING DEVICE FOR TAPE PLAYERS [76] Inventor: Yoshinobu Tanaka, No. 8-1 1,

2-chome, Kita-machi, Warabi-shi, Saitama-ken, Japan [22] Filed: May 21, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 362,304

Related U.S. Application Data 63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 93,260, Nov. 27,

1970, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. 360/93 [51] Int. Cl. ..Gl1b 5/56, G1 lb 5/78 [58] Field of Search 274/4 B; 360/92, 93

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,492,005 1/1970 Veno et al 274/4 B Feb. 18, 1975 3,599,985 8/1971 Huber 274/4 B Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam Anthony Drucker The invention relates to a device of attaching cartridge to the tape player, and is to hold fitting means to be pressed to an engaging concave of the side of the attached cartridge at an appropriate retreating position, and further is to release said fitting means from its retreating condition to effect a strong pressure to the cartridge when it is completely inserted thereinto, so that a sound attaching-detaching operation is provided as well as an exact attaching condition of the cartridge is formed at a reproduction.

ABSTRACT 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENIEB FEB 9% SHEEI 10F 2 INVENTOR. YOS/ll/VOBU Tfl/VA K/q ATTORNEYS 1 CARTRIDGE LOCKING DEVICE FOR TAPE PLAYERS The present application is a continuation-impart of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 93,260, filed Nov. 27, 1970 now abandoned.

BRIEF EXPLANATION The inventionrelates to a device for locking a cartridge releasably in a tape player, so as to facilitate insertion and removal of the cartridge and to ensure stable positioning of the cartridge in the tape player.

It has been hitherto proposed to provide a V-shaped recess in the side of a cartridge, and to force a roller resiliently into said recess.

However, according to the foregoing prior art proposal, the fitting of the roller into the recess is rather loose, or if heavy spring pressure is used to force the roller into the recess, it is difficult to insert and remove the cartridge. Moreover when the resilient force is smaller, the tape cartridge is unstable, and the proper fitting of the tape to a capstan and a playing head may not be obtainable. Therefore, such a close fit or a strong force are required to suitably satisfy these two necessities, but smoothness and stabilization are then lost.

The invention seeks to avoid these faults in the prior art. The fundamental object of the invention is to provide a smooth operation of insertion and removal of the cartridge, and further to provide a stable fitting of the cartridge at the time of reproduction by the tape player. The invention accordingly provides for the retraction, when inserting and removing the cartridge, of the recess-engaging means. In such a manner, the faults of the prior art are avoided, to accomplish smoothness of insertion and removal, and stabilization of the cartridge at the time of playing.

Another object is to accomplish the said purpose by means of a comparatively simple structure of low cost. For example, when means such as a plunger is made use of to stabilize the inserted cartridge, and the make and break for this plunger is effected by the inserted cartridge, a stabilization therefore is easily provided. However, such an adoption of a plunger mechanism makes the equipment unduly complicated and expensive. The present invention accomplishes the same purpose by means of a lever arm mechanism and springs. Such a lever arm mechanism has been always necessary in the mechanism and, with the invention, only a small change is required to achieve the improved function. The invention does not involve an increased cost for the tape player, but obtains the desired results with equipment which is very similar to that of the prior art.

Other features will be better understood with reference to the following explanations and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts in section, of a tape player improved in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing mechanism of the invention.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION On a deck I, of a tape player, there are mounted opposed parallel brackets 3, 3 which bound a tunnel to receive a cartridge 2. On one bracket 3 there are provided guide rollers 13. Adjacent to the other bracket 3 there is provided an arm 4 carrying an abutment 5 whose face 2a is contacted by the cartridge 2. The arm 4 is pivoted at 8 on an arm 6- which is pivotably mounted on said deck 1. A helical spring 9 is engaged between the arm 4 and the arm 6, and said arm 6 has a roller 10 on its free end, opposite to said guide rollers 13. A spring 11 acts between the arm 6 and a bracket 17 at the side of the deck I. The arm 4 has a shoulder 14 which can abut on a stop 12 on the deck. To receive the roller 10, a V-shaped recess 18 is provided in the side of the cartridge 2. A pinch roller 16 is positioned at the front end of the cartridge 2 to press the magnetic tape into contact with a capstan 15 on the deck 1, in order to feed the tape in conventional manner.

When there is no cartridge in position, the roller 10 lies in the position shown in chain-dotted line, so that the arm 4 and the arm 6 are respectively in the positionsshown in chain-dotted lines, and the shoulder 14 abuts on the stop 12, with the spring 9 in the position shown in chain-dotted line. The roller 10, which is thus in retracted position, can bear on the side of a cartridge 2 to be inserted, and the cartridge 2 is therefore guided and very smoothly inserted. When the cartridge 2 is inserted, the roller 10 is pushed back slightly by the side of said cartridge and takes up a third position causing the shoulder 14 to retract from the stop 12. The cartridge 2 is thus inserted and reaches the innermost position with the front end of cartridge 2 pushing the abutment 5 so that the abutment is retracted into the position shown in full line, thereby terminating the engagement of the arm 4 and the stop 12. The arm 6 is shifted by the spring 11 and the roller 10 is moved into the recess 18 of the inserted cartridge 2, to hold it stable. When the cartridge 2 is extracted, the roller is removed from the recess 18, and the front end of the cartridge no longer contacts the abutment 5, so that the arm 4 moves back to the position shown in chain-dotted line, and the shoulder 14 is engaged with the stop 12, to keep the shoulder 14 in position shown in chain-dotted line. Accordingly, the extraction thereafter is very smoothly performed with the roller 10 being in retracted condition.

I claim:

I. In a player, for magnetic tape cartridges, having a deck and means on said deck to define a tunnel to receive a cartridge slid longitudinally therein, the improvement which comprises in combination a first arm pivoted at one of its ends to said deck for lateral swinging movement, recess-engaging means mounted on the other end of said first arm and positioned for movement into a recess in a side of a cartridge inserted fully into said tunnel, spring-loading means secured to said deck and to said first arm to urge the first arm in the direction to move said recess-engaging means toward the cartridge, a second arm pivoted by one of its ends on said first arm, a shoulder on said second arm, a stop on said deck positioned to be contactable by said shoulder, spring-loading means secured to said first arm and to said second arm to urge said second arm into a position in which said shoulder is engaged by said stop, and abutment means on the other end of said second arm positioned to be contacted by the leading end of a cartridge inserted into and pushed towards fully inserted position in said tunnel, whereby during insertion of a cartridge into said tunnel said recess-engaging means is in a retracted condition and as the cartridge apengaging means is a roller, and wherein the retracted position of the first arm is such that said roller is p0sitioned adjacent to said tunnel-defining means for contacting and guiding one side of a cartridge inserted in said tunnel.

3. The improvement of claim 2, wherein said tunneldefining means includes other roller means, opposed to said recess-engaging roller, for contacting and guiding the other side of said inserted cartridge. 

1. In a player, for magnetic tape cartridges, having a deck and means on said deck to define a tunnel to receive a cartridge slid longitudinally therein, the improvement which comprises in combination a first arm pivoted at one of its ends to said deck for lateral swinging movement, recess-engaging means mounted on the other end of said first arm and positioned for movement into a recess in a side of a cartridge inserted fully into said tunnel, spring-loading means secured to said deck and to said first arm to urge the first arm in the direction to move said recess-engaging means toward the cartridge, a second arm pivoted by one of its ends on said first arm, a shoulder on said second arm, a stop on said deck positioned to be contactable by said shoulder, spring-loading means secured to said first arm and to said second arm to urge said second arm into a position in which said shoulder is engaged by said stop, and abutment means on the other end of said second arm positioned to be contacted by the leading end of a cartridge inserted into and pushed towards fully inserted position in said tunnel, whereby during insertion of a cartridge into said tunnel said recess-engaging means is in a retracted condition and as the cartridge approaches a fully inserted position with its recess registering with the recessengaging means, its leading end contacts said abutment means and shifts said second arm against its spring-loading means such that said shoulder is moved out of engagement with said stop means, to cause the first arm to be rotated about its pivot by its spring loading means to Move the recess-engaging means into the recess in the side of the cartridge.
 2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said recess-engaging means is a roller, and wherein the retracted position of the first arm is such that said roller is positioned adjacent to said tunnel-defining means for contacting and guiding one side of a cartridge inserted in said tunnel.
 3. The improvement of claim 2, wherein said tunnel-defining means includes other roller means, opposed to said recess-engaging roller, for contacting and guiding the other side of said inserted cartridge. 